hello, everyone, i'm ashleigh banfield. let's get to the news and we're going to begin with the massive deadly storm system threatening a very big part of our country. it's wreaking havoc right across the united states as we speak. and all of this just as millions of us are packing our bags and planning to travel to see our families for the holidays. much of the midwest looks like this. three screens for you. some people could be stuck in up to a foot of snow. half dozen states across the midwest from nebraska to minnesota and wisconsin all under blizzard warnings right now. in iowa, tens of thousands of people have already without power. this storm is not just hitting the midwest, it's unleashing a chain reaction of extreme weather even farther south, as well. i want to take you down to texas. take a look at this. this is not what you usually see from the tower cams in texas. the intense winds stirred up a

major dust storm there. and this caused a 23-vehicle pile-up. one person was killed, and at least seven people sent to the hospital because of this. in alabama, not far away, the storm system spun off at least one tornado near mobile. and that damaged homes, as well, and brought down power lines there. as i mentioned, all of this could not come at a worse time. this is one of the busiest travel times of the year. this storm system could spell major trouble for road closures and, of course, thousands of flights. flights, especially in the midwest, including chicago where ted rowlands is standing by at o'hare airport. that is the second busiest airport in the nation. what are the emergency plans already as you brace for it there, ted? >> reporter: well, ashleigh, as you can see here in chicago right now, it's raining. not a bad thing, obviously. the flight travel should be uninterrupted. however, because of the snow elsewhere in the country, we are seeing delays here. and that effect is going to

continue throughout the day here in chicago, we're expecting snow, blizzard-like conditions starting around 4:00, 5:00 this afternoon. so anybody here is trying to get out desperately. the problem is the airplanes coming from other areas that are affected by the storm, those planes are not getting here. that's where you're getting cancellations and heavy delays. passengers are coming -- obviously chicago is a hub, people have come here and some of them are stuck here. others hoping to get out. united airlines is waiving their change fees, basically encouraging people to come to the airport early and get out of chicago because by about 4:00 or 5:00 this evening when the blizzard is expected to start, o'hare is going to be a nightmare and, of course, the roads across the midwest, as well. but right now, the big delays are in iowa, in wisconsin, any flights going there have all been canceled and, of course, those planes are grounded. >> oh, no, obviously thousands of people will be affected by this, ted, but we all ship our

presents too. and a lot of those go on airplanes and ground trucking. what's the expected impact on all of the shipments out there? the holiday presents? >> yeah, well, that's an unexpected blip when you're talking about, especially ground traffic. the roads in the midwest are bad now and they are only going to get worse. to they are expecting some delays. if you haven't shipped packages, there could be, or if you were rolling the dice and saving a few bucks hoping to get it there on monday without the guarantee, you may be out of luck because of that. >> oh, ted. and it's only thursday morning. and all those people already lined up behind you, that does not look good. all right. you're going to stay there and keep an eye on it for us. i feel bad. i'm actually headed to one of those airports after the show. so the storm is sweeping through the midwest as we mentioned. but brace yourself here in new england, folks, the storm is headed this way. it's going to hit northern new england by friday night, as

well. it is to say the very least it's massive. and wisconsin is already under a state of emergency because the storm is hammering that state. so schools have already been closed and businesses and roads are already in trouble. and governor scott walker is mobilizing state agencies including wisconsin's national guard. major general donald dunbar is leading the wisconsin national guard's response. give me an idea, if you can, how many national guardsmen are you having to mobilize this early in the storm? >> well, actually, it's good to be with you. what governor walker did was declare a precautionary emergency yesterday to give us an opportunity to assist local first responders in preparation. so what we have is 11 of our armories manned with what we call a response package, which includes heavy vehicles and soldiers and airmen prepared if called out to assist, whether it's state patrol or a sheriff or motorist. and also double the use of our

armories as a warming center or shelter if it came necessary. >> i grew up in winnipeg in the middle of canada, and when you had storms like this, it wasn't just so much that your car could get stuck, it was that the temperatures could kill you if your car got stuck. what are the thoughts right now in terms of dealing with the national guard on the roads to make sure that motorists out there don't get stranded and freeze and then cars get covered and next to impossible to even find? >> well, actually, weather conditions. right now the storm is really just starting to hit wisconsin. we do have upwards of 10 to 13 inches along the southwest and northeast. and the road conditions on our major highways are very slow. the county and city work crews are out in force salting and plowing. and generally on the main thoroughfa thoroughfare, it is moving slowly. and as the conditions get worse as we see the heavy winds pick

up, 35 to 45 miles an hour, start to dry out some of the moisture from the snow, you could end up with heavy icing conditions and the kind of conditions you're talking about where somebody could get stranded and possibly even have life threatened. so everybody in wisconsin, the national guard's playing a part, but we're certainly in partnership with the first responder communities and the state patrol, department of natural resources. >> oh, major general donald dunbar, thank you for talking with us and the best of luck with all of your efforts. if you're in wisconsin, if you go out in your car, put an emergency kit in your car. include a candle. it can save your life. a candle can warm your car and mean the difference between life and death. and i want to turn now to another very big story we've been following, it's the fallout over that scathing report on the attack in the u.s. mission in benghazi, libya. heads are already rolling over this story, people. the release of that report by

the independent panel yesterday had quite an impact. four state department officials have now been disciplined. eric boswell, the assistant secretary of diplomatic security now resigned and three other people on administrative leave. as we reported yesterday, the panel blasted the state department for, quote, grossly inadequate security at our mission there. the attacks on september 11th, you'll remember killed u.s. ambassador to libya chris stevens. it also killed three other people who were working with us at that mission. secretary of state hillary clinton has accepted full responsibility. and she sent a letter to congress saying she accepts all of the panel's 29 recommendations. joining us live from the state department. first of all, elise, lay out for me if you could the four people removed from their posts. what is the story about them? who were they? what did they do? and why did these people get singled out for punishment? >> well, these are key people,

ashlei ashleigh, in the department of diplomatic security and also one gentleman who was in the near east bureau, which is the mideast policy shop. these people were intimately involved in the decisions about security in benghazi and didn't name names in the unclassified report that we read, but we understand that in the classified version these people are really singled out for not providing the kind of leadership that was needed in terms of providing adequate resources. and there was recommended that there was some kind of disciplinary action against them. >> all right. so the report isn't the end of it. we've got two more hearings on capitol hill today about this issue. lay out for me what we expect to accomplish with these hearings and how much more we're going to hear about this. >> okay. well, we had one hearing this morning which was the senate foreign relation committee. there was some tough questions about the report. i think the deputy secretaries all they could do, ashleigh, is kind of be contrite, you know, eat the crow and call it caviar

and just say, listen, we know we messed up. we have a lot of reforms we have to make, we need to implement those recommendations. to make sure it's never happened again. and i think in doing so, therest a lot of questions that all the state department officials have now that this report is out about things that can be done better. >> all right. thanks very much. and i also want to point this out because sometimes it is forgotten. it's been a while since september 11th, hasn't it? not a single person charged in this attack. and most of the people detained and questioned, released. a libyan source says there are indications the attackers came from outside the benghazi area and then just slipped away right after the attack. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news

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they've got to take me out of it and think about their voters. and think about what's best for the country. >> i hope the president will get serious soon about providing and working with us on a balanced approach. i hope you can all get along. complicated, acrimonious and now president obama says the fiscal cliff negotiations are personal. not that negotiations are taking place so far as we know. the process has paused while speaker boehner holds a vote on a measure that quite a few republicans have already rejected. speaker boehner calls it plan "b." as you may have heard, it would raise income taxes on people who earn more than $1 million a year. the president wants higher rates to start at $400,000.

the speaker says he would couple his tax hike with a repeal on limits to income tax deductions and exemptions. the white house calls that another gift to the rich. both sides want spending cuts, but the president also wants the debt ceiling raised high enough to get us through 2014. i could go on and on, i don't know if you got all that because it's complicated. but i know that cnn's dana bash knows every ounce of this stuff. what's the story about plan "b" and the vote? tell me about plan "b." is the vote actually scheduled? is there any hope for this thing to pass? and what's the point of it? >> reporter: yes, there's a vote scheduled, probably later this evening, maybe too late for a lot of our tastes around here, but it is going to happen. and at this point, it does look like according to republican leadership aide i spoke with this morning, they are feeling better inside the house of republican leadership about having the votes to pass it. but it has not been easy. the speaker himself was working

the floor, twisting arms last night during the last vote. they've been making calls, they've been whipping it as they call it here to try to make sure they do have 218 votes to pass it. what's the point? you know, there are a lot of different political factors in doing this. but the biggest, i'm told by several republican lawmakers who are involved in these discussions, ashleigh, is to get the house on record. and in some ways, it's sort of an internal tactic for republicans to give as one republican lawmaker told me, give them a reality check as to where the votes are or aren't with regard to any tax increases at all so that maybe, maybe once they -- if they do pass it, they can send it to the senate, it's not expected to pass the senate and maybe that will kind of bring everybody, you know, open up everybody's eyes and say, you know what? we've got to do something by the end of the year or else everybody's taxes are going to go up. >> it seems ridiculous that anyone needs an eye opener at this point. i mean, we have been talking about this 24/7 for quite some

time now. let me ask you about the polling. i don't know if this is making much of an impact. i don't know if anyone's watching the polling coming out, but what the heck? just for grins here. some of the most recent polling that's come out shows that when people are asked, 20% of them think this fiscal cliff is really a crisis. 50% think maybe just major problems, 24% think just minor problems, and 4% feel like it's no problem at all. clearly the country is very concerned about this. but when they talk about who's to blame, 53% of respondents say it's the republicans who are to blame for this. you know, who should -- rather, let me pull back on that. who should compromise more? who should be compromising more in these negotiations? and 53% of respondents say republicans should and 41% say democrats should. who would be more responsible? maybe that's more the blame question. who would be more responsible if we go off the cliff? 48% of the respondents say the republicans would be. and that really overshadows the other respondents who say both

or the president. how are those numbers playing? and why isn't that, perhaps, pushing people into more compromise? >> well, that is another very important -- maybe the most important reason why republicans are having this vote later today. to try to take the political blame off themselves. republicans know the democrats have the leverage. the president has the leverage. both in terms of the substance of the argument. you look at all the polls, or at least most of the polls. it shows his position, raising taxes on the wealthy what the majority feel, even those who are most wealthy in this country. but also in terms of the process. if nothing else is done, taxes will go up and republicans will likely take the blame. so that's a major reason why they're having this vote today, ashleigh, so you can see, at least we voted to keep tax cuts in place for everybody making up to $1 million, that's 99 point something percent of the country. that is a big, big political reason we'll see that today.

>> thank you, my friend, and happy holidays to you and everybody around there. hopefully they'll get the spirit real soon. >> you too. >> dana reporting for us live. i don't want to leave capitol hill right now because in the rotunda, there is something very special. take a look at some of these pictures. this is long time senator daniel inouye of hawaii. it's really remarkable to watch this. this is an honor given to very, very few americans. inouye represented the 50th state in washington since hawaii became a state back in 1959. you think he was the longest serving senator in u.s. history, he ended up being the second longest serving senator in u.s. history. and if you don't know this about the senator, he was a japanese-american soldier during world war ii. senator inouye lost his right arm in italy and received the medal of honor for his service. daniel inouye died on monday at

walter reed military medical center. he was 88 years old. and i want you to watch these pictures.

i have some news just into cnn about the attorney general eric holder. we are finding out now the attorney general is set to head to newtown, connecticut, today after meeting with vice president joe biden at 1:00. but don't expect to see him. this is not a public event. the attorney general has scheduled to apparently meet with some of the law enforcement officials in that town and then also with some of the first responders who were the first people to enter the sandy hook elementary school and discover the carnage there that ended up being the loss of 20 children and six adults in that school and then, of course, the mother of the killer who was shot in her bed and the killer himself. the attorney general apparently is not traveling with any other senior justice officials to newtown. he will also not be attending any of the funerals or the memorials. and again, you will not be seeing the pictures of him.

there's no plan for this to be anything public other than these meetings he's going to have with those law enforcement officials. but, of course, this is a day of more farewells in newtown. six, six funerals in this tiny community, six visitations also. so 12 services. these people being laid to rest today, allison wyatt, she is just gorgeous. she loved to draw. and she told her parents she wanted to be an artist. benjamin wheeler, look at that smile. he's just so sweet. huge fan of the beatles. his parents tell us. and then look at this. catherine hubbard, you almost know her personality from her adorable red hair. she loved animals. the community's going to say good-bye to the principal of sandy hook who is going to be buried in new york privately. and then two brave teachers. lauren gabrielle rousseau and

anne marie murphy. you know those funeral processions are becoming a bit of a regular sight through the center of that small town. and new details are emerging about the mother of the young man who caused all of this sorrow. a mother who herself was murdered in her bed. according to her friends, nancy lanza had been on vacation alone at a resort just before this devastating shooting. in the past, she said that if she'd ever been worried about adam lanza, her son, she would not leave him alone. in recent years they say she felt comfortable leaving him alone in the house. let's not forget, he was 20 years old. hearing about the victims and about those children and seeing their pictures, it has such a profound effect on people across the country and around the world. i mean, really, how can't it? if you have felt like reaching out in some way, any way or felt like you just needed to do something for the people of newtown, connecticut, you are by no means alone.

that town's post office has been on the receiving end of thousands and thousands of condolence cards and gifts and well wishes. they are flooding in from all over the world. the united states postal service post office box has been set up just to handle the incoming volume there. and christine dugus a spokeswoman for the united states postal service is live with us from newtown to give me a sense of just what's happening there. christine, if you can, let me know what you're receiving. what sort of things you're seeing coming in and how much is coming in. >> we started out, ashleigh, receiving a few hundred pieces of mail. and now it's in the thousands every day. it ranges from packages to letters to cards as you say. much of it is becoming express mail. that's how important it is for people to send their love and support to the folks here in newtown to help them cope with the tragedy. >> and not to suggest with that many pieces of mail that you've been able to see. the addresses, who they're

coming to, who they're coming from, but can you give me a sense of -- is this from all over the world? is it primarily from here in the united states? and who are they addressing it to? >> some of these packages and letters are addressed simply to the school to the residents of sandy hook, to the first responders, or to families of individual children. they're coming as far away as sicily, england, australia, all over the world and every corner of this country. again, people just want to show their love and support. >> what -- >> this is a good way for them to do that. >> what are you going to do with it all? you can't go to the school, you can't drop that mail at the school. how are you processing this? and where are you sending it? >> we have worked with the town to appoint a custodian of the mail and that person -- those folks are from the department of education. we have a destination that we're bringing it to and they are separating it out for the appropriate parties to receive

when they're ready to receive them. >> well, christine, thank you for doing what you're doing. and our heart felt thoughts and condolences go to you and your town, as well. and best of luck as you try to handle all that holiday mail alongside of all of the condolence material you're receiving. best to you, christine, thank you. >> we've been doing this for a couple of centuries, so, we probably have a lot of experience at delivering love. >> delivering love. i'm glad you put it that way. i think that's exactly what those people sending the packages intended. live for us in newtown, connecticut. if you'd like to send any cards or letters or anything to the families of the victims, you know where it's going to go. you saw christine, she's going to be receiving it and the post office box address is p.o. box 3700 newtown, connecticut, 06470. when i wake up in the morning, i can smell, you know,

my girlfriend's perfume and it makes me cry. >> that's the boyfriend of one of the teachers killed in this horrifying shooting last week. we're going to have more of that interview for you in just a moment. hearcan be. for fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up- relieving the pain quickly. try fast, long lasting gaviscon®.

it is not easy to say good-bye to loved ones, especially when all you've had with them is one year and not the eternity that you hoped for. and teacher lauren rousseau's poi friend says he's trying to come to terms with the cruel way she was snatched away from him.

it happened days away from when he planned to propose to her, on christmas. >> it says, me since i've been with you, thanks for rubbing off on me. >> 30 and in love. tony and lauren. >> do you remember the moment you realized you were in love with her? >> oh, yes. like right -- the first date i had with her, i knew. >> at a wine bar where they shared their first kiss. lauren called him lovie. he called her busy bee. one of those people without a mean bone in her body. >> she didn't like to honk her horn at people that cut her off in traffic because she thought it would be mean if she honked at them. >> reporter: lauren liked to send tony cards like this one. >> tony, this card made me giggle and think of you very appropriate. it says bananas. >> reporter: these sill let photos taken at a friend's wedding exactly two months before lauren died. >> this is the second try of

making funny faces. there was a first one where she was like, i don't have a funny face. >> reporter: she just celebrated one year of dating in november. >> i'm glad that i had a good relationship for a year instead of a relationship that had fights for years. >> reporter: the same month she became a permanent substitute teacher at sandy hook elementary. >> she was thrilled and she loved to tell me what she was doing that week. you know, she would send a text. oh, we're doing this, doing that. and send tons of pictures of kids had created that day. >> they were planning to see "the hobbit" on friday night, but the last text tony got from lauren was at 8:58 a.m. >> it doesn't seem real. it doesn't seem permanent and finite. >> you think you might see her again? >> i'm convinced that i'll see her again. i have like a little squish pillow that's like a little pillow for your head that she had that smells like her, because it smells like her perfumes and stuff. >> when i wake up in the

morning, i can smell my girlfriend's perfume and makes me cry. >> the love of her life is how lauren's obituary describes tony. >> i only got one year with her. i don't know if -- it's like kind of bad to say, but i'm jealous of her friends that got more than one year. all i got was one. but it was a really good year. >> you hugged president obama when he was here sunday night. >> yeah. >> but i want a hug from lauren, you know. i'm not going to get that. >> i know. >> reporter: it's this song they both loved and this song that will always remind tony of his lauren. ♪ i love the way you say good morning ♪ >> i want the world to know lauren was a great person. she touched the lives of everyone she ever met, even if you only met her once, you liked her. she was a great person and she didn't deserve this.

no one deserved this. >> reporter: poppy harlow, cnn courtland manor, new york. >> go to cnn.com/impact. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso.

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as if holiday travel isn't chaotic enough. just as millions of you are about to hit the road or head out for your flight for the holidays, many of you are going to have to deal with this instead. a massive storm system causing blizzards in the midwest, stirring up a deadly dust storm on the bottom of your screen there and also spawning tornadoes in the south. half a dozen states across the midwest from nebraska to minnesota and wisconsin all of them are under blizzard warnings as we speak. i want to get you straight to our meteorologist karen maginnis who is monitoring everything from cnn's weather center. how fast are things changing, karen? >> hour by hour. and we've watched this sweep across portions of the midwest. but for our viewers in chicago, just wait, the next couple of hours this is going to have a serious impact, not just on the

grou ground, but as far as air traffic is concerned there. we've got captivating video coming out of iowa. this out of ames, iowa. it's from our i-reporter. and he said that this is the first significant snowfall they have seen pretty much since the last three years. now, kevin sent this to us. he said they've gone with a long period of no snowfall, but some parts of iowa, they're anticipating as much as 14 inches of snow. well, this very vigorous weather system is winding its way across the southern great lakes as it does, it's going to bring with it first the rainfall right around chicago. and then it changes over to snow. and not just the snowfall, but we're looking at near blizzard conditions. some of the winds make as high as 50, possibly 60 miles an hour. take a look at the wind now, coming straight out of the north, 30, 40, i saw some of the winds topping out at close to 50 miles per hour already. but look at chicago, wind coming up from the south. so, we've got the milder air and

this is all rainfall, at least right now, but very quickly it's going to change to snow. look at some of the snowfall totals we've seen over the last 24 hours. hastings, nebraska, 8 inches, a portion of interstate 80. was closed over the last 12 hours or so, that's about 150 miles, they were saying the interstate there was so tied up because of the snow, very dangerous and treacherous driving conditions, blizzard warnings from green bay all the way down to iowa impacting a huge swath of the central united states, ashleigh. it is going to be very treacherous. >> just miserable. so the headline here, check your flight before you head for the airport. karen maginnis, thank you. >> i dare say, chicago is going to be one of the biggest delays. already two-hour delays there. >> oh, rats. keep an eye out for us. thank you. and the faa is reporting most airports at this point are operating normally, but then you

heard karen maginnis say if you're planning to travel in chicago, take a look at those pictures. two-hour delays, but that could change. call before you go. ok in the mi, they see more than themselves. so we celebrate our year-end with the "share the love" event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. by the end of this, our fifth year, our total can reach almost 25 million dollars. it's a nice reflection on us all. now through january 2nd.

we do not intend to send members home after this vote. we want to stay here, we want to avoid the fiscal cliff from happening.

and again, i think that the decision is for the white house and the senate democrats to come join us so we can avoid the tax hike on american people and avoid the fiscal cliff. >> speaking to reporters, just moments ago, that's the second highest ranking house republican who said he's sure that the plan "b" for taxes will pass. but lawmakers' work is still far from over. joining me now from washington. so that was eric cantor, wolf. plan "b," does it have a point? and does it have a chance? >> certainly has a chance of passing the house of representatives. i don't know if it would then pass the senate. the president said he would veto it if it were to pass the senate because it would allow -- there would be no tax increases for incomes up to $1 million a year. right now, the president he started, as you remember, ashleigh, $250,000 for families, but he's gone up to $400,000. but he says $1 million is too much.

and they've directly threatened to veto that legislation if it were to pass the senate. and the house and the senate. so there's still a lot more negotiation that's got to go on before they come up with a plan that can satisfy the president, satisfy the speaker, and satisfy their respective liberal democratic and conservative republican bases. because this is a complex notion. they've still got some time. they might not get it accomplished for christmas, but the hope is they'll get it accomplished before new year's. and even if they don't get it accomplished before new year's, they still have a few days early in january, the new speaker has sworn in, the new congress is sworn in january 3rd. so they'll have a little wiggle room after that, as well. but they don't have a lot of time. >> that's a fiscal foothill, shall we call it. let me ask you about the pressure of christmas and the holidays, because the speaker has said before, several weeks ago, in fact, he'd be prepared to stay throughout the holidays on capitol hill. i believe eric cantor has said this, as well, they're going to

be working to actually get a deal. is there some kind of real pressure that the holidays represent to them? they want to go home and that's more important to them to get a deal than getting the deal itself? >> well, there's no doubt that the pressure to go home for christmas and then stay home or go wherever they want to go between christmas and new year's is a powerful source of pressure. they've got family commitments, they'd like to get away from washington, do other stuff, so yeah, i think that the pressure of christmas and new year's getting away, that's a real pressure. at the same time, these are politicians and they don't want to compromise on what they see as their core principles, if you will, because they don't want to be facing a primary the next time they run from somebody more conservative or somebody more liberal. so they've got political pressures, as well. but i think you make a good point. the pressure to get out of dodge, if you will, to get out of washington before christmas and stay out of here until after new year's is a pretty powerful source of pressure.

>> this should be more powerful that we're all devastated and our country could fall apart. but if it's just the holidays that make them get a deal, okay. it was crossing over the wires that a bright young man from newark who has been a rising star in the political sphere for quite some time now cory booker has intimated he is looking to run for the senate race when senator frank lautenberg's term is up in 2013. i suppose it's not that big of a surprise, although some thought he might try to challenge chris christie in the gubernatorial race. >> yeah, there was some speculation that would be a powerful race there, but i think chris christie right now is pretty popular in new jersey, especially in the aftermath of his behavior following the superstorm sandy. i think cory booker has a huge future, and i think if he runs for that frank lautenberg seat from new jersey as the democratic nominee, he'll have a pretty good chance of winning. i don't know who the republican might be. that's not going to happen until

2014. so we still have some time. the gubernatorial race is next year. >> he has some big money behind him already and has had some for quite some time already. this is a guy who maybe, you know, if americans are starting to hear more about him because of his super hero, you know, business, he rescued someone from a fire and had all these wonderful light stories that have hit the press. but this young man for at least the last seven, eight years has been on the radar of those who make politics tick. and i'm talking about the people with the money. >> because everybody sees that he's, you know, he's got a really, really good future ahead of him. popular mayor of newark, new jersey. i think he's a harvard university graduate. could've gone into other yars, he decided he wanted to do this. and as you point out, you know, he's very active in social media, got a large following out there on twitter. i know i follow him on twitter, watch see what he's up to. but there have been some highly publicized cases where he's run

into dangerous areas to try to do something. and that certainly has helped his reputation. so i think he's in -- if frank lautenberg retires, decides he's not going to run for reelection, cory booker's got a good chance of becoming a united states senator. >> and frank lautenberg, isn't it sort of popularly known at his age right now, he is highly considered stepping down -- >> he's almost 90 years old. >> i'm looking for it on the wires, or 89. turning 89 in january. >> i've known him for long time. he's a great guy. and he's still very active. still very lively. he's got legislation that he wants to introduce on guns. still pretty active. you know, you're getting to be 90 years old, maybe there's something else he wants to do. >> can i tell you something? >> i wish him the best, obviously. >> my stepdad, graham, he is 91. and there are no flies on that man. he's like superman. i'm telling you, no flies on lautenberg either. >> he's very -- he's very

active, very lively, very smart. doing a good job for the people of new jersey. and if he decides to step aside and not run, i think cory booker who is exploring, let's be precise, he's exploring the possibility. >> i should have used that in my headline. i think i said has decided, but you're right, exploring. hey, wolf, i'm going to take a little holiday after today's show, so i won't see you until the new year. so have a great holiday, my friend. >> you did a great job on this connecticut shooting. good to see you up there. >> it was good to see you too, and i hope we reunite under different circumstances in the field. >> take care. >> and i want to remind viewers about your show, every day 4:00 eastern right here on cnn best in the business beside me, happy holidays, wolf. >> thank you. ♪ ooh baby, can i do for you today? ♪ [ female announcer ] need help keeping your digestive balance? align can help. only align has bifantis,

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there was a time when kids had to worry about their bunches and books, but now after friday's shooting there are fears amongst parents when they send kids to school that no place is safe. if you can believe this, some parents are buying bulletproof backpack inserts for their children's backpacks. we have the details. >> reporter: it is a disturbing sign of the times. you guys make inserts for children's backpacks? >> that's correct. >> bullet-resistant inserts? >> that's correct.

>> this is one of them? >> yes. >> show us how this work. >> this is our military-grade product. >> coo rich brand says in the last week sales have jumped a5 hundr -- 500% and they're still climbing. desperate parents trying to protect their kids. the material will not stop high velocity rounds like the up ones used in newtown, but three shots with a 9 millimeter at point-blank range -- >> all of the kentic energy and penetration was absorbed with the armor. >> three small holes, the armor is a little stiffer. the rounds are inside here? >> that's correct. >> he's not alone. in boston, bullet let blocker promises peace of mind is what we want. new customers are schools and day care facilities. even the colombian designer of

fashionable protective clothing has a request for bullet-resistant garments for a toddl toddler. people say you're profiting off of terror and horror. >> that's the lank thing we wanted to do. we put this out there at the request of parents trying to meet the neat. >> amendment 2 says the material lends toifts a product some teachers have asked for, a protective blanket. because of the lightweight nature of the material that the company uses, they say it could be used as a mat in a school and in an emergency for protection. at salt lake city get some guns and ammo owner says protective gear won't stop a killer, only another gun will. >> if you knew every teacher in the school had a gun, you would think differently about your little plan. >> since 1995 utah has allowed teachers to carry concealed weapons. the law is yet to be tested, but after newtown anything seems possible.

oh, let me guess --ou see this?

more washington gridlock. no, it's worse -- look, our taxes are about to go up. not the taxes on our dividends though, right? that's a big part of our retirement. oh, no, it's dividends, too. the rate on our dividends would more than double. but we depend on our dividends to help pay our bills. we worked hard to save. well, the president and congress have got to work together to stop this dividend tax hike. before it's too late. santho, ho, ho!anta! santa! want to see some magic? watch this! merry chr... (crash) ow! i landed on my keys. did you get that? oh yeah. that was amazing. here you go. that was a fun trick! see? santa's okay. walk it off santa. share videos instantly with s beam. on the galaxy siii and note ii. for a limited time get two flip covers for the price of one. exclusively at verizon.

oh, my god. >> oh! >> yikes. that's how hollywood sees it. that's hollywood's version of doomsday from the movie "2012."

awesome and great. i love those effects. a lot of people are convinced that the world as we know it is going to end, in fact, tomorrow. it's going to happen, they say, because a centuries' long cycle of the mayan calendar due to end on the winter solstice is december 31st. the mayans themselves, the modern day mayans are not buying into all of this. they're quick to tell you that a brand-new cycle of their cycle will start on saturday, that would bt day after the end of the world. however, this is not stopping all the three seekers and party-goers that really, really believe this myth and they're pouring into mexico's yucatan peninsula and a lot of businesses couldn't be more tilled. they're raking in the profits to the tune of an estimated $15 billion in tourist money. nick parker, who is not on vacation but is working, is

reporting from one of the greatest mayan centers. how many people are you encountering there just there for the fun of it all, and how many are there because they truly believe this is the end of it all. nick? >> reporter: it's an interesting question. i would say probably 70%, 80% of the tourists you see behind me now and sort are in the morning and a steady stream coming in here, 70% or 80% are here because they're intrigued by the idea of it and tantalized by the date. i would say maybe 20% or so or maybe 30% are here because they believe that it's the end of an era. that the mayan cal dear ending is highly significant, and it corresponds with certain as naum cal beliefs they have. we've seen a lot of some spiritualists that converged around the world here in yucatan and in the wider region. >> i os